Just got aligned...

[strykr14]

I posted this on TCCA and have had a few comments there. I just got her aligned after a complete suspension change. Shop says they cannot adjust the left rear camber (this is a wagon, BTW). A forum member there said I can order a bolt from ford that will move the axle in or out, depending on what I need? What about the front specs - does it look like I need to do anything here. I changed out the subframe on this thing and I thought I aligned it but I may not have been spot on. It also has adjustable strut mounts, and eibach lowering springs.

Are the numbers really jacked up? (I don't know much about alignment stuff)

 

[Eric VerValin]

I have adjustable mounts, but with Intrax, and missing one coil. Doing it that way.. I had to turn the adjustable part all the way to the outside edge of the car. I wonder where yours might be at... more towards the front would change that caster angle I would imagine.

 

[Mr Anonymous]

Either your subframe is way not straight, or the whole car is tweaked due to a collision.

The subframe needs to be moved towards the passenger side a bit, and the left side needs to be pushed way forward. You will still need more adjustment out of the front strut mounts.

For the rear, eccentrics may work but that much neg. camber suggests something is bent.

 

[strykr14]

OK, so I will have driveability problems If I just leave it. I'm going to check the subframe, I don't think she's ever been in an accident. From what I can tell, the best way to do that is stick a 3/4 inch rod in the hole and check if the rod is square, if not loosen subframe bolts and move sub with a crow bar or something.

The guy at the alignment place said the same thing about the rear but he said I would be OK in the front, (I am assuming from the responses so far that is not the case) how would I tell if something is bent in the back? I got the rear end parts of a wrecking yard car - looked ok when I pulled'm.

 

[Mr Anonymous]

Your car isn't going to handle well if you drive in a spirited fashion at all, and you are going to eat LF tires and you're going to wear the inside edge of the LR tire fast.

Ignore the subframe alignment holes and either move it like I suggested or find a shop that is willing to re-align your subframe as part of the alignment.

 

[rubydist]

The car will want to drift to one side with that much difference in caster and camber from side to side, although if I'm understanding it right the caster variation will pull the opposite way from the camber variation, so they will somewhat offset each other.

The rear of the wagons can have the camber problem due to bad bushings, so I'd have a good look at those also, especially on the side w/ -3*.

 

[strykr14]

I'm not going to screw with this, My anonymous, I am going to take your advice and take it somewhere that will align the subframe. I'm wondering if any shops will know what I'm talking about.

As far as the rear goes, Can't switch out the axle bushing so I may grab another one. No chance it's the control arm?

 

[RStalveyARFF]

IIRC, wagons have a rear axle. That being said, there would be no control arm to affect camber at least.

 

[rubydist]

Wagons have a upper/lower control arm setup, not a solid axle. If the arm bushings get sloppy, that can screw up the camber.

 

[strykr14]

Correct, no solid axle. Each side has an axle (similar to the sedans but only 1 per side), 2 large c shaped bars that tie the axle to the floor and (what I think would be) a control arm (similar to the sedans) from the end of the axle to the floor just behind the back door. So any one of these having a bad bushing can screw me up?

 

[Shoaz]

I'm not going to screw with this, My anonymous, I am going to take your advice and take it somewhere that will align the subframe. I'm wondering if any shops will know what I'm talking about.

It's not a hard job, I'd think any decent alignment shop would be familiar with it but perhaps I'm overestimating typical alignment shops. As has been said, the subframe mostly needs to be centered and square with the car. That's just a matter of loosening the subframe bolts a bit while the car is on a lift and spending a little time with a rod and the alignment holes.

As far as the rear goes, Can't switch out the axle bushing so I may grab another one. No chance it's the control arm?

I'd say there's a chance one of the arms is bent or distorted or something. Or the mount has moved due to a previous bump or collision.

 

[strykr14]

Well, good news for a change. I went back to Midas and they took a look at the sheet and told me those were the before specs, and the after specs were on the next page, which wasn't there. So, after some checking they got me my actual specs
Front
Left.............right
-1.1 Camber -1.1
2.5 Caster 2.5
0.04 Toe -0.03

Rear
-3.0 Camber 0.1
0.00 Toe 0.00

Much better, IMO but still out on the rear left. They told me that if I get the eccentric bolts they would install them.

 

[Shoaz]

Ha.

Yeah, the only problem is the LR. I'd examine that corner carefully for bent parts or mounts or bad bushings before settling on the eccentric.

 

[strykr14]

I'll take a look but I had pulled the rear suspension off a junk yard car and it looked pretty good - the car had not been in an accident (It was in better shape than mine!). I am hoping nothing needs to be changed as it was a real ***** installing it.

 

[Mr Anonymous]

I'll take a look but I had pulled the rear suspension off a junk yard car and it looked pretty good - the car had not been in an accident (It was in better shape than mine!). I am hoping nothing needs to be changed as it was a real ***** installing it.

A hard enough pothole can be good for a degree of negative camber.

Eccentrics are reasonably cheap and easy to install. -3 degrees you're going to wear the inner edge of that tire even faster than most Tauruses already do.

FWIW, if that was the before sheet, then the shop did indeed align your subframe which is a big plus. Around here, none of the chains will do it unless you really bug them about it and know what you're talking about.

 

[strykr14]

I'm just glad it's aligned. I really got worried when you said the car may have been in an accident. Not what you want to hear after spending 2 months rebuilding the damn thing!

I am ordering the Eccentric bolts today.

Appreciate everyone's advice.

 

[Shoaz]

I'm just glad it's aligned. I really got worried when you said the car may have been in an accident. Not what you want to hear after spending 2 months rebuilding the damn thing!

That still may be true in that back corner, or that corner hit a bad chuckhole or something. If the arms/components aren't bent, the mounting points on the unibody may have moved a bit. The fact that you need the eccentric means something isn't where it's intended to be.

It may not be a big deal, though, if the eccentric gets thing back to where the tire behaves as it should.

 

[strykr14]

That still may be true in that back corner, or that corner hit a bad chuckhole or something. If the arms/components aren't bent, the mounting points on the unibody may have moved a bit. The fact that you need the eccentric means something isn't where it's intended to be.

It may not be a big deal, though, if the eccentric gets thing back to where the tire behaves as it should.

Even if there is, I don't see it being a big deal. I've had the bumper off and I spent about 4 days under the ass end of the car and saw nothing major - no major body work, no minor body work either. In fact, I don't think anyone had done anything to the car since it was new. So I'm on to the next problem, someone cut off all the rear bolts to mount the rear bracket for the center console.